Visit the Acropolis or "High City"

Excerpt from the book On a Tall Budget and Short Attention Span from the Teresa the Traveler Series. The Acropolis, which means high city, is the ancient city which sits on a rocky hill above Athens. There is a number or “acropoleis” in Greece but only the “Sacred Rock”in Athens does not need qualification. Some of her notable buildings include the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Theatre of Dionysus.

The Parthenon The Parthenon is a temple built in the 5th century to honor the Greek goddess Athena, the goddess of heroic endeavor and the virgin patron of Athens. Her myth has grown and changed with the evolution of Greece making her also the goddess of wisdom and when the Greeks became more philosophic, also the patroness of weaving and other crafts. Like most Greek temples, the Parthenon was used as a treasury before 6AD, when it was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It then became a mosque in the 14th century when Greece was taken over by the Ottoman Empire. After suffering severe damage in 1687 when ammunition stored in the building by the Ottomans was ignited by Venetian bombardment, the Parthenon was further stripped down in 1806 when Englishman Thomas Bruce removed some of the surviving sculptures and sold them to the British Museum in London, where they remain to this day. The Greek government is committed to having these treasures returned to Greece but their efforts have been unsuccessful thus far. In 1975, the government started restorations of the Parthenon and other structures in the Acropolis but unfortunately the corrosion of its marble by acid rain and car pollutants since the 1960’s has caused irreparable damage to the remaining sculptures and the temple itself. Environmental factors are still an ongoing threat to the Acropolis buildings.The Erechtheum The Erechtheum was built between 421 and 407 BC deriving its name from a shrine dedicated to the Greek hero Erichthonius who is a mythical early ruler of Athens born of the soil and raised by the goddess Athena. The temple is believed to have been built in honor of legendary king Erchtheus who was mentioned in The Iliad by Homer as the great king and ruler of Athens during the Archaic Period. It was built as a replacement for the Old Temple and used to house the shrines for the rituals that once took place within its walls. In the 7thcentury it was turned into a Christian basilica along with many other pagan temples throughout Europe. Then during the Ottoman Empire it was transformed into a harem. The most distinguishing feature of the temple is the Porch of the Maidens, a large porch on the south side whose roof is supported by six female-shaped columns or caryatids. These figures are replicas of the original columns which were removed from the temple. Lord Elgin of England used one of them to decorate his Scottish mansion then later sold it to the British Museum. He also attempted to remove a second column by having it sawn into pieces but the statue ended up smashed and the pieces left behind. Later it was haphazardly put back together with the use of iron rods and cement. The five remaining maidens were at one time displayed in helium-filled glass cases at the Acropolis Museum but have more recently been restored by the use of a laser and moved to the New Acropolis Museum where they are encased in noble gas-filled glass chambers. Athenian legend has it that at night the statues wail for their lost sister living in England.Theatre of Dionysus The Theatre of Dionysus, dedicated to the god of plays and wine, was the first stone theatre ever built. It could seat up to 17,000 people and was the location of ancient Athens’ biggest theatrical celebration: the Dionysia. The performance of tragedies was the central event of the festival.Greek authorities announced on November 24, 2009 that they would partially restore the ruined marble theater. The Culture Ministry said the $9 million program is set for completion by 2015.